Too many planners


I see that the Portland City Council didn't vote on the ridiculous Rape of the South Park Blocks as scheduled yesterday. But the vote is not cancelled, just "delayed." Eventually they'll pass it, and the Park Blocks will be destroyed with a bike freeway and equitable, sustainable, native yada yada. It's so sad.

The problem is that City Hall has way too many planners and not hardly enough people tending to the basics. The city payroll is packed with young people, many fresh in from out of town, who choose to live here but are determined to show old Portland that we're doing it all wrong. 

These invaders have degrees in urban planning from some college or other, they know everything, and they're well-schooled in arrogance. The older bureaucrats, whose general attitude toward the public involves the F word, encourage this. The juniors get hired, and immediately they have to justify their existence. And so they go into full Sim City mode, coming up with plan after plan after stinking plan to transform the place into something some professor told them about, or that they read about in a trendy architecture magazine. It's a short hop from their last term paper to ripping up your neighborhood.

It's not just the Park Blocks, it's everywhere in local government. Planning "charettes" for junk that nobody wants but some construction and developer weasels. And the politicians are happy to go along with it. It's a lot easier to pass some shiny new "vision" than it is to take care of the real problems that are eating away at the city like multiple cancers. There's no money for the cops to answer the phone at night, but there's plenty of money for some kid to sit around drawing bike paths on a map.

Portland has got to be the most planned city in the country. And so drive around, what's the verdict? Success or failure? Right now, I think the needle is way closer to the failure end of the meter. It's a city of exquisitely planned lawlessness and filth.

Portland would do well to lay off at least half of its planners and put all that money into mental health crisis intervention, graffiti cleanup, garbage pickup, gang violence prevention, and homeless shelters. Pay attention to the basics of civilization, and stop fixing things that aren't broken.

Comments

  1. "Portland would do well to lay off at least half of its planners and put all that money into mental health crisis intervention, graffiti cleanup, garbage pickup, gang violence prevention, and homeless shelters. Pay attention to the basics of civilization, and stop fixing things that aren't broken."

    Amen to that jack.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Portland long ago abdicated the primary — if mundane — functions of responsible city government to pour tax dollars to favored constituents and pursue large-scale utopian planning.

      Having failed in everything except draining public coffers of anything even resembling assets, the city now drifts along in its torpid dystopia, its ‘leadership’ a quintet whose demonstrated corruption and/or incompetence would test the limits of absurdity were it not an absolute tragedy.

      Solutions?
      None feasible.

      Options?
      Move on or bear the violence, the mobs, the insecurity, the stupidity.

      The Portland you once loved is gone. The mob has won. We will not see recovery in our lifetime.

      Delete
  2. Well said. And almost all of the planning decreases affordability and destroys the last vestiges of Portland Funky.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I couldn’t had said it better Jack. The same goes for Metro......that building must be chock-full of brainiacs just chomping at the bit for things to get back to “normal.” There are so many sustainable and equitable projects that need doing, but they know that they must lay low for awhile. I suggest that they can stare out their window(s) and gaze at the wonderful tent cities across the street to fill their time. It would probably be more productive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. According to Tate’s Linkedin page:

    “I thrive working collaboratively, leading interdisciplinary teams, and managing complex projects to create more sustainable and resilient communities.”

    I am pretty sure I could do all of.............that. How do I sign up?

    Here is my resume:

    I prosper most when working towards equitable solutions to complex societal issues, especially those dealing with underserved and under-privileged communities. I am big on process, especially when complex solutions are needed to assure an equitable and sustainable future for all. My main goal is to serve in a capacity where all diverse communities are served, and everyone feels that they are part of the process. I believe that equity should be first and foremost in any solution. And I strive to make changes to any and all structural barriers that might keep any of our stakeholders from having a fully sustainable future, while thriving in a diverse and tolerant community.


    ReplyDelete
  5. "Everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What’s being built? Monuments to ego, graft corruption and foolishness — transparently called ‘improvements.’

      What’s being maintained?
      The square root of zero.

      Delete
    2. Their motto seems to be “Let them eat road diets.”

      Delete

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